American Conference Wildcard Round

Houston Gamblers (13-3) @ Michigan Panthers (10-6)

Point Spread: Michigan -1

Houston: Offense 4th Defense 11th
Michigan: Offense 12th Defense 3rd

Playoff Records: Houston 16-3, 4-0 World Bowl Michigan 4-5
Last Playoff Appearance: Houston 1988 Michigan 1988

Head to Head: Houston is 2-1 vs Michigan in post season/Houston defeated Michigan 33-14 in Week 8

Injuries: Houston 6 probable, 4 questionable, 1 doubtful, 1 (IR) Michigan 5 probable, 2 questionable, 1 doubtful

Prediction: Houston 20 Michigan 13

Houston has more injuries than Michigan but the Gamblers playmakers are mostly healthy, while Nicholas Dorey is questionable for the Panthers. Dorey is such a huge part of Michigan's offense that I feel they won't be able to score enough to advance, despite having the defense capable of slowing MVP Dean down.
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Denver Gold (13-3) @ Honolulu Hawaiians (10-6)

Point Spread: Denver -6

Denver: Offense 3rd Defense 30th
Honolulu: Offense 9th Defense 16th

Playoff Records: Denver 5-7, 0-1 World Bowl Honolulu 0-6
Last Playoff Appearance: Denver 1988 Honolulu 1986

Head to Head: No post season games/Denver won 25-10 Week 15

Injuries: Denver 5 probable Honolulu 9 probable

Prediction: Denver 34 Honolulu 31

Will this be AlexanDragon's last game as owner/GM of the Denver Gold? I was leaning toward predicting a Hawaiian victory, but they've lost 4 of the last 5, so I'm guessing a late Brewer to Peralta TD pass will give Denver the win.

National Conference Wildcard Round

Washington Federals 13-3 @ New Orleans VooDoo (11-5)

Point Spread: Washington -1

Washington: Offense 8th Defense 5th
New Orleans: Offense 5th Defense 4th

Playoff Records: Washington 4-8, 0-1 World Bowl New Orleans 8-10, 0-2 World Bowl
Last Playoff Appearance: Washington 1988 New Orleans 1988

Head to Head: New Orleans is 2-0 vs Washington in post season/No 1989 regular season game

Injuries: Washington 2 probable, 1 questionable New Orleans 5 probable, 3 questionable, 1 Out

Prediction: Washington 16 New Orleans 13

On paper these teams are evenly matched and if I remember the message boards correctly, CrazyRazor and Smirt have had some memorable playoff games against each other across their various leagues. The Federals have the injury edge so I'm picking them to win.
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New Jersey Generals (10-6) @ New York Stars (11-5)

Point Spread: New York -4

New Jersey: Offense 6th Defense 17th
New York: Offense 10th Defense 7th

Playoff Records: New Jersey 20-10, 2-4 World Bowl New York 3-5
Last Playoff Appearance: New Jersey 1987 New York 1988

Head to Head: New Jersey is 1-0 vs New York in the post season/New York swept New Jersey in 1989, 23-16 Week 7 and 37-30 Week 15

Injuries: New Jersey 3 probable, 2 questionable, 1 doubtful 2 (IR) New York 6 probable, 1 questionable, 1 doubtful, 1 Out

Prediction: New York 33 New Jersey 27

Both teams have a banged up defensive line, so this could be a high scoring game. The Stars swept the Generals and I see no reason to pick against New York now.

American Conference Divisional Round

Houston Gamblers (14-3) @ Memphis Showboats (15-1)

Point Spread: Memphis -2

Houston: Offense 4th Defense 11th
Memphis: Offense 1st Defense 2nd

Playoff Records: Houston 17-3, 4-0 World Bowl Memphis 18-5, 4-0 World Bowl
Last Playoff Appearance: Houston 1988 Memphis 1988

Head to Head: Houston 3-1 vs Memphis post season/Memphis swept 1989 24-18 and 31-7

Injuries: Houston 8 probable, 4 questionable, 1 doubtful, 1 Out Memphis 2 probable, 1 questionable

Prediction: Memphis 30 Houston 16

It's no secret that Infinity has been a pain in my ****, and as much as I'd love to see him lose, I can't pick against what seems to be the inevitable Seth vs Infinity CC game.
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Denver Gold (14-3) @ Portland Storm (15-1)

Point Spread: Portland -3

Denver: Offense 3rd Defense 30th
Portland: Offense 2nd Defense 1st

Playoff Records: Denver 5-7, 0-1 World Bowl Portland 4-7
Last Playoff Appearance: Denver 1988 Portland 1987

Head to Head: No previous post season games/Portland won in Week 4 47-13, Denver won Week 7 50-26

Injuries: Denver 1 probable, 1 doubtful Portland 3 probable

Prediction: Portland 37 Denver 30

Denver handed Portland their lone loss of the season, but it has felt like Seth vs Infinity for awhile now, so I'm picking the Storm to advance.

1989 National Conference Divisional Round

Washington Federals (14-3) @ Baltimore Stars (14-2)

Point Spread: Baltimore -3

Washington: Offense 8th Defense 5th
Baltimore: Offense 7th Defense 6th

Playoff Records: Washington 5-8, 0-1 World Bowl Baltimore 9-6, 0-1 World Bowl
Last Playoff Appearance: Washington 1988 Baltimore 1988

Head to Head: Baltimore is 4-0 vs Washington post season/Baltimore won 35-21 Week 5, Washington won 30-27 (OT) Week 7

Injuries: Washington 2 probable, 3 questionable, 1 doubtful Baltimore 2 probable, 1 questionable, 1 doubtful

Prediction: Baltimore 27 Washington 16

I was all set to pick Washington in an upset until I saw 2 of their playmakers, Cuevas and Andrews, listed as questionable. That, plus the Stars playoff dominance over Washington has me taking Baltimore minus the points.
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New York Stars (12-5) @ Tampa Bay Bandits (11-4-1)

Point Spread: Tampa Bay -3

New York: Offense 10th Defense 7th
Tampa Bay: Offense 11th Defense 20th

Playoff Records: New York 4-5 Tampa Bay 6-8, 0-2 World Bowl
Last Playoff Appearance New York 1988 Tampa Bay 1988

Head to Head: Tampa Bay is 2-0 vs New York post season/Tampa Bay won 16-12 Week 8

Injuries: New York 6 probable, 1 doubtful, 1 Out Tampa Bay 4 probable

Prediction: Tampa Bay 24 New York 21

I can see this game going either way, but I'll pick the rested up home team to pull it out late. The Stars looked impressive in their win over New Jersey, but I expect the Bandits will be stiffer competition, and if Driggers can avoid mistakes, Tampa should win.

As much fun as it would be to see infinity vs setherick in a game with no more than 10 combined points, it will be extremely difficult to defeat a good team/manager three times in a season. I have a feeling it will be a nailbiter. At least Michigan was kind enough to rough up the Houston secondary for me.

Gg Infinity.....went pretty much the same as our other 2 meetings as I suspected.

GG Baltimore/4343. I tried something different. Won't do it again. Not that it would've helped.

Nice road win Stars. We seems to have some good battles. Will Driggers ever develop into that “GUY”?

Good game, Fred. All hard feelings aside, you are a tough competitor, and I never take you lightly. I'm sure you will be back stronger next year.

American Conference Championship

Portland Storm (16-1) @ Memphis Showboats (16-1)

Point Spread: Memphis -5

Portland: Offense 2nd Defense 1st
Memphis: Offense 1st Defense 2nd

Playoff Records: Portland 5-7 Memphis 19-5, 4-0 World Bowl
Last Playoff Appearance: Portland 1987 Memphis 1988

Head to Head: Memphis is 1-0 vs Portland post season/No regular season game in 1989

Injuries: Portland 1 probable Memphis 6 probable, 1 questionable

Prediction: Portland 16 Memphis 11

Memphis and Portland have the top 2 offenses in the league in terms of yardage, though both QBs have a tendency to throw interceptions. That has the top 2 defenses in the league (Portland 1st, Memphis 2nd) salivating at the chance for a defensive score. I think Memphis will get on the board first with a TD and 2 point conversion, then both teams will exchange FGs for an 11-3 Memphis lead at the half. Portland will chip away in the second half, getting within 11-9 before a late TD sends Portland to their first World Bowl appearance.
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National Conference Championship

New York Stars (13-5) @ Baltimore Stars (15-2)

Point Spread: Baltimore -4

New York: Offense 10th Defense 7th
Baltimore: Offense 7th Defense 6th

Playoff Records: New York 5-5 Baltimore 10-6, 0-1 World Bowl
Last Playoff Appearance: New York 1988 Baltimore 1988

Head to Head: Baltimore is 1-0 vs New York post season/Baltimore won 17-13 Week 14

Injuries: New York 3 probable, 1 doubtful, 1 Out Baltimore 4 probable, 1 questionable, 1 doubtful

Prediction: Baltimore 24 New York 19

The Stars are going to win for sure, and it wouldn't surprise me if New York pulls it out, but Baltimore got a taste of the World Bowl last season and I think their players will be a little hungrier to get there than their Big Apple namesakes. I'll say a late Jon Snow to Knob Creek TD is the margin of victory.